Chapter 20: The Bus Door Opens

The bus swerved slightly.

The driver tried to remain calm as he drove, but the sweat trickling down his forehead betrayed him.

"How long until the next stop?" A voice broke the silence first.

"About 5 minutes." Someone replied.

The bus fell silent again.

"Can you let Firefang sniff your scent? Maybe Firefang can smell where that thing is." Just as everyone was silent, Qiaosang suddenly spoke up.

Before the female student could respond, the man with a square face standing beside her sneered, "Even if there really is a wild ghost-type extraordinary creature on the bus, are you sure you want to find it while the bus is moving? What if it gets angry and something happens? Can you take responsibility for that?"

"Yeah, let's wait until the bus stops at the next station."

"This matter should be handled by the patrol department. We shouldn't cause trouble."

"Right, what's the patrol department's phone number? I'll call them."

"Maybe 669."

"…That's the control department."

The people on the bus discussed back and forth.

"It's not a ghost-type." Qiaosang said.

"How do you know it's not?" Someone asked.

"You were the one who said there was movement, and now you're saying it's not. Are you playing with us?" The square-faced man shouted.

Qiaosang looked at him straight in the eye and smiled, "Uncle, I feel like you've been targeting me from the start."

The square-faced man widened his eyes and roared, "I'm only 24!"

"Uncle, your voice is a bit loud." Qiaosang said, digging his ear.

The square-faced man glared at Qiaosang fiercely, his expression vicious. If it weren't for the Firefang in front of Qiaosang, he might have attacked him right away.

"Why isn't it a ghost-type?" The female student asked at this moment.

"The lady's pet is a Magnemite. If there were a ghost-type extraordinary creature nearby, its tail would be lightning-shaped, but it's currently hanging down." Qiaosang pointed to the pet on the shoulder of the lady next to her and explained.

The female student was taken aback, recalling that this was indeed the case…

The Magnemite reacts to magnetic fields and can sense unusual magnetic activity.

The unique magnetic field of a ghost-type extraordinary creature would unconsciously stimulate the Magnemite's temporal lobe, making its tail lightning-shaped.

But textbooks are one thing, and connecting such obscure content to reality was something she hadn't thought of…

"Right, my Magnemite is indeed like that." The lady next to her nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, the female student didn't hesitate and said, "Go ahead and smell."

Qiaosang nodded at Firefang.

Firefang obediently approached the female student and sniffed her.

Qiaosang noticed that the square-faced man's facial muscles instantly tensed up.

Firefang sniffed, then sniffed the air a few times, and then barked at the square-faced man.

"What are you barking for, you damn dog!" The square-faced man growled.

" Fang!"

Firefang's fur stood on end, his legs tensed, and his sharp teeth were prominently exposed, clearly angered by the man in front of him.

The square-faced man was startled but still held his ground.

He looked at the girl holding Firefang, wanting her to control her pet, but found that the girl was staring at him expressionlessly, her gaze cold, making her seem even more terrifying than Firefang…

Qiaosang felt incredibly calm at this moment. She slowly stroked Firefang's back, trying to calm him down.

She couldn't attack him first. The League explicitly prohibits Beastmasters from using their pets to attack ordinary citizens. Even if she were to attack, it couldn't be so obvious, and there were still other people on the bus.

This man was clearly suspicious. When she mentioned that Firefang had sensed something, he had the strongest reaction, and Firefang had also smelled the same scent on him as on the female student.

But it was impossible for something to appear and disappear on someone so quickly unless it was this man himself.

If someone was up to something on the bus, it was either for money or for something else.

The thing that made Firefang lose its sense of it, and the female student not noticing anything, suggested that if it had touched her, she would have reacted.

It wasn't for something else.

So it must be for money.

"Did you lose anything?" Qiaosang turned to the female student and asked.

The female student was taken aback, then checked her bag and pockets. After a few seconds,

"Damn, my phone is gone!"

Sure enough, Qiaosang thought.

Seeing this, the other people on the bus also checked their belongings.

"My phone is gone too!"

"My wallet is gone too!"

"The necklace I bought for my girlfriend is gone too!"

"My shoe insoles are gone too!!!"

"My pet's Sand Fruit is gone too!!!"

After checking, one-third of the people on the bus found that their belongings were missing.

Qiaosang keenly noticed that those who said their things were missing were all concentrated in the middle of the bus.

Looking at the square-faced man, Qiaosang was even more certain of her guess.

Seeing Qiaosang look at him, the square-faced man's face turned extremely ugly. He gritted his teeth and said, "My phone is gone too!"

Qiaosang: "…"

"Oh… I can't be separated from my pet for a moment…"

Just then, a loud ringtone sounded from the square-faced man's body.

The man: "…"

Everyone's gaze turned to him.

The square-faced man laughed awkwardly and said, "It's still on me, I just didn't find it earlier."

Qiaosang asked, "Are you a Beastmaster?"

The square-faced man's face darkened, not sure how to respond.

"He is, and he's wearing a Beastmaster's badge!" The female student, realizing the square-faced man's abnormality, said excitedly.

Registered Beastmasters in the League are issued corresponding badges. For example, an F-level Beastmaster has a white background with the League's emblem and an F mark.

Some people like to wear them, while others don't. Those who don't usually have a lower rank.

The square-faced man in front of her was wearing a gray E-level Beastmaster badge, indicating that he had at least two intermediate-level pets.

"Do you mind showing us what your pet is?" Qiaosang asked kindly.

The square-faced man wanted to refuse, but the entire bus was looking at him.

"Show us your pet!"

"Yeah, what are you afraid of?"

"You were so tough just now, speak up."

"Is there something about your pet that you're ashamed of?"

The square-faced man's face became even uglier, his already twisted features even more contorted, and the sweat on his back made his gray tank top stick to his body.

Just as he didn't know what to do,

"Yonglin Station has arrived. Please disembark from the rear door and take your belongings with you."

The electronic announcement sounded.

The bus door opened.